It’s 2017. The Military Still Requires Officers To Have College Degrees. Why?

For the same reasons that you have to have an undergrad degree to get into law school, to be a nurse, and so on. It provides a foundation.

A degree should be viewed more as a foundation rather than a barrier to entry. Opportunities could definitely be expanded to provide more enlisted the opportunity to pursue the officer path. I am a bit biased, but I think the best officers had ample experience as a junior enlisted and non-commissioned officers.

A friend of mine was a captain in the active Army when they stopped the draft. He was one of a handful of captains who was not separated from the Army because he had a bachelor's degree. It may not have been necessary in World War II and Korea, but it was gradually needed after Vietnam. I remember seeing an officer support form of my Battalion executive officer in the California Army National Guard. She was a major and her support for him had discussed finishing her bachelor's degree. As far as I know, only warrant officers don't need college degrees though it does not hurt them one bit to have one.